General Dynamic’s [GE] Electric Boat held a keel laying ceremony for the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine on June 4, named the future USS
District of Columbia (SSBN-826).
During a keel laying, an engraving plate is welded with the boat sponsor’s initials, marking the ceremonial start of construction. Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser are the vessel’s sponsors. This event occurred at Electric Boat’s facility at Quonset Point, R.I.
Electric Boat noted because submarines have round hulls and no keel the ceremonial plate will be mounted in a place of honor on the ship permanently.
Norton noted this is the first naval vessel named for the nation’s capital.
“Though this is not the first time a U.S. Navy vessel has been named Columbia, this is the first time that that name has been used to specifically commemorate the District of Columbia,” she said during the ceremony.
The SSBNs are armed with nuclear-tipped submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). The Columbia-class submarines will carry 16 SLBMs each and Mk 48 torpedoes.
The 12 Columbia-class SSBNs will replace the 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs that are expected to start retiring in 2027. SSBN-826 is set to be delivered to the Navy in 2027 and be on its first patrol by FY 2031.
SSBN-826 is planned to be 560 feet long and displace 20,810 tons to be the largest submarine the U.S. has ever built.
The Navy underscored Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro officially named the submarine after the nation’s capital “to alleviate any name conflicts with the already-commissioned USS Columbia (SSN 771),” as federal law says the Navy cannot have more than one vessel with the same name.
If SSBN-826 enters into service on time in 2027, it would overlap with the current Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN-771). The Navy said now SSBN-826 will be named after D.C. while SSN-771 is named after cities in South Carolina, Missouri and Illinois named Columbia.
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, spoke during the ceremony about the importance of SSBNs.
“As every ballistic-missile submarine has since the keel laying of USS George Washington (SSBN 598) here at Electric Boat in November 1958 – the District of Columbia, and all those in its class will continue to serve as the most survivable leg of the nuclear triad – standing constant watch far beneath the waves, as we have done for over 63 years – a stalwart deterrent against those who would seek to do the unspeakable,” Caudle said.
Last month, Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, Program Executive Officer for Strategic Submarines, said the Navy was looking at extending up to five Ohio-class submarines to help add to the tight Columbia-class program margin. If the Navy decides to extend any of the submarines, that would start in FY ‘29 (Defense Daily, May 16).
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro underscored the importance of SSBNs in the American nuclear weapons arsenal.
“As Admiral Caudle detailed, the Columbia-class will be the cornerstone of our strategic deterrence, the ultimate guarantor of our National Security. Our strategic submarines represent approximately 70 percent of America’s deployed nuclear arsenal.”
Electric Boat noted SSBN-826 is designed for modular construction, with work under way at Quonset Point. Major bow and stern components are being built by principal subcontractor HII’s [HII] Newport News Shipbuilding while outfitted hull modules will be bared to the company’s shipyard in Groton, Conn., where they will be assembled into a complete hull.
GD is also building a 200,000 square foot assembly building in Groton set to be ready for the first module’s arrive in 2023. The company also said SSBN-826 is more than 20 percent complete.